Keydet Basketball Season 2-0 with Wins Against Washington, Bellarmine

The Keydets are off to an exciting 2-0 start to the 2024–25 season with victories over Washington and Bellarmine.

Season-Opener Victory over Washington, 103-54

Led by a school-record 15 assists by newcomer Tan Yildizoglu ’28, the VMI basketball team earned a dominant 103-54 victory over visiting Washington College to open the 2024–25 season at Cameron Hall Nov. 4, 2024.

The Instanbul, Turkey, native and transfer from Pacific University made quite the debut as a Keydet by registering 15 helpers, topping the previous single-game school record of 14 set by Bobby Prince ’96 against Western Carolina Jan. 14, 1995, which stood for nearly 30 years.

Yildizoglu not only set a school single-game assists record but also earned his first double-double at VMI by also registering 10 rebounds to go with four steals and two points on the night.

The Shoremen kept the game close for much of the opening half before the Keydets began to pull away with 7 minutes before the half. VMI led 20-18 with 7:04 on the clock before going on a big run to go into the break with a 46-25 lead.

Key Stats

• Indiana State transfer Augustinas Kiudulas ’28 earned a game-high 27 points in his VMI debut to go with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals to aid the VMI attack.
• Lipscomb transfer T.J. Johnson ’28 recorded VMI’s second-highest point total on the night with 17 points by going 7-12 from the field and 3-7 from the three-point range.
• Walker Andrews ’27 also scored in double figures for VMI with 15 points on the night as he converted three treys and went 4-5 from the charity stripe en route to his total.
• Linus Holmstrom ’28 was the fourth Keydet in double figures as he scored 11 points, including three treys, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
• VMI returnee Rickey Bradley Jr. ’26 scored nine points back in a Keydet jersey in addition to three boards, four helpers, and a steal.
• VMI scored 36 points off Shoremen turnovers and tallied 50 points in the paint, including 25 second-chance points.

Washington College Key Stats

• Anthony Seoage led the Shoremen with eight points for the game while Nolan Waldon and Ben Costello each logged seven points.
• The bench provided 35 of Washington’s 54 points for the contest.

VMI Basketball Takes Down Bellarmine

VMI earned a huge road victory when they defeated host Bellarmine University by a 76-71 score at Knights Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, Nov. 9.

The Keydets last opened a season with two wins in 2013–14, and VMI picked up its first road-opener victory since the 2010–11 season when the Keydets topped UMBC, 94-77, in Baltimore in the second game of that campaign.

The win was also VMI’s first victory away from Cameron Hall since taking down The Citadel in Charleston by a 75-69 score Feb. 2, 2023.

Andrew Wilson, VMI Head Coach

“I’m so proud of our players and staff. We have a connected and resilient group that is playing for each other. It was a total team effort and so many guys stepped up in critical moments. We are still learning each other, but this was a big road win for the program and hopefully a confidence builder as we move forward.”

Game Summary

VMI trailed 17-10 midway through the opening half before pulling ahead moments later, 24-23, at the 6:51 mark. The Keydets never trailed again as they closed out the half on a 19-6 run to go into the break with a 43-29 advantage.

The Keydets kept up the intensity in the second half—leading by as many as 17 early in the second half—and never relinquished the lead despite the Knights pulling within three points on three different occasions with under 10 minutes left in regulation.

Key Stats

• For the second straight game, Augustinas Kiudulas ’28 led the Keydets with 17 points during the contest, and T.J. Johnson ’28 finished second with 14 points. Kiudulas needed just one more rebound to finish with a double-double for the game.
• Linus Holmstrom ’28 finished with 12 points, including three treys, to rank third on the team in points.
• Tan Yildizoglu ’28 finished with nine points and a team-high five assists for the day.
• Bellarmine’s Jack Karasinski finished with a game-high 24 points by going 9-13 from the field and 3-6 from three-point range. Dylan Branson, reserve, also finished in double figures with 12 points.
• VMI finished with 40 points in the paint to 28 for Bellarmine and had 13 second-chance points to seven for the Knights.

Editor’s Note: These articles were first published at vmikeydets.com.